Education ‘emergency’!

The writer is the chair for UNCTAD — Commonwealth Entrepreneurship Project in Pakistan & CIO of Superior Group

Finland is the happiest country in the world. It also has one of the best school systems. But this wasn’t always the case. The small Nordic country has been fighting influence of the Swedish monarchy to the west and with Russian Czar to the east in the past. In early 19th century, Swedes, who had ruled Finland for 600 years, ceded it to Russia. A century later, Finland did declare independence, only to find itself on the war zone again, leaving it scarred by divisions: it was first entrenched in a civil war, followed by two wars with Russia and one with Germany. However, some 50 years post-independence, the Finnish government made a bold decision — it chose public education as its wild card for putting its economy on track. And it was this decision that truly changed the development course for the country. The plan was simple yet not easy. The top features, formed over the years, made way for an inclusive system that nurtured its students. The motto was clear: “whatever it takes for Finland.” Unlike the US education evaluation mechanism, standardised tests are conducted only once. This is exactly the highlight of the system. The importance it attaches to innovation in learning techniques instead allows all students, irrespective of their........